Indiana experience

Wife and I went to Indianapolis Showroom this afternoon. Not really crowded, and several Tesla reps. were standing around, so my wife had a couple of questions to ask. When she asked the first one (what is the price range of the Model S) the answer was "Depends".

Second question asked (Where would I take to get repaired in Indy area) she was told "The only thing that needs repairing is brake pads and tires, so take it anywhere you want".

Her third question (Are there any charging stations between Indy and Chicago) was met with a roll of his eyes and the statement "There are too many to keep track of!"

Since I made enough trading Tesla stock this year to buy one of them, we had a real interest in ordering one...until today. With that kind of attitude you can take your 220 volt charger and sit on it, Mr. Musk!

Sorry to hear and Surprised at your experience. My wife and I had the complete opposite experience at 2 stores visited - All associates interacted w/ were very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and professional. But, N = 2

1. It does depend, but perhaps that store can't actually talk price; some can't and I haven't kept track of all that can't. If I'm in a store and interested in buying and that's the answer I get, my next question is - Can you be more specific and give me an actual dollar figure range, Sir/Ma'am? Indeed, just happened yesterday. Salesman was chatting my husband and I up, talking about additional features on the item we were looking at and I asked 'how much?' and the salesman kept on talking around it. I simply rephrased my question in a manner that left no doubt I required a dollar figure, at which point he told me.

2. Not sure what the problem is with that answer. Perhaps what she wanted to ask was; Does Tesla have any service centers in the Indy area?

3. Again, not sure what the problem is with that answer. Perhaps what she wanted to ask was; Are there any SuperCharger Stations up and running between Indy and Chicago? (And if not, are there plans for any? And if so, is there an approximate completion date available?)

I'm not seeing the 'attitude' that has you so upset. An answer can only be as good as the question, but perhaps there's more to your visit then what you've been able to convey in your post? Did you find them condescending? Did you ask to speak to the Manager to lodge a formal complaint?

Krugerrand - Regarding your answers:
1. What part of "Price Range" do you think the Individual did not understand? We were not there to play a semantics game with a 20 something.
2. I don't see the ambiguity in the question "Where would I take to get repaired in Indy area" as you apparently do.
3. Had she wanted to know about "SuperCharger Stations", she would have phrased the question that way. Asking "Are there any charging stations between Indy and Chicago" seemed to both of us as a legitimate question for a potential owner of any "non-traditional" powered vehicle to ask. BTW that is the longest trip she usually takes three to six times a year via auto when she can't fly there herself due to weather conditions. Wife has a Commercial Airplane Single Engine Land Pilots certificate with Instrument rating.

No, we did not speak to a manager to lodge a formal complaint. We did however, speak to another individual as we were leaving the Display Area who also indicated that he felt he was also unable to get answers from a different Tesla person at the Showroom/Store and who had overheard our conversations. His assessment was that they weren't interested in talking to anyone who didn't have a shirt and tie on (our experience happened late Saturday afternoon when most people were dressed in casual clothes).

I've been to about 5 stores so far and never run across anything like that. Definitely let the manager know. No need to name names if you don't want to get anyone in trouble just relay your experience and they can speak with the entire staff.

I wouldn't let one new employee color your perception of the entire company or cause you to not get the car. It is simply too nice of a car.

It does sound like you had some poor service there and answers like that are not what I would expect. Like you, I also visited a newly opened Tesla store recently and before I went for the test drive, I grilled the rep about the car. With the store having opened about a week before, he was new (joined only a couple days before my visit), but knew a good amount and readily admitted when he didn't know something. In any case, he would have easily answered the types of questions you asked. So yes, I think what you got was a pretty lousy introduction to Tesla. In any case, I still think TMC (and the internet in general) is a better and easier place to get accurate, unbiased product information. So, if you still haven't gotten any answers to your questions:

1. Without considering the tax credits (7500 federal + more in certain states), the price starts at $70K and can go as high as $130K depending on your options and battery size. They do also sell some inventory and service loaners from time to time, so you might get a better deal that way if you find what you want. Also note that the cost of powering your car with electricity is much cheaper than powering it with gas, although the exact prices depend on your gas and electricity costs. For me, I drive ~12K miles a year and save ~$175-200/month over the ICE I was driving, and that doesn't include free road trips with supercharging. I pay less than 6¢ per kWh here, which is about half the national average. Still, the increase in my electricity bill is only about $30-35/month.

2. There is no Tesla service center in Indy; the nearest one is in Cincinnati, OH which is over 100 miles away. However, Tesla does provide a ranger service, where the work can be done at your home. http://www.teslamotors.com/service#/tesla-service
If you were talking about repairs that include collision damage/body work, note that Tesla service centers do not do that. However, Tesla does certify certain body shops. I'm not familiar with Indy, so that is something you can ask your store about or just ask here in the Midwest subforum on TMC. There are a few owners from Indiana that I've seen there so they might have some experience with certain shops.

Krugerrand - Regarding your answers:
1. What part of "Price Range" do you think the Individual did not understand? We were not there to play a semantics game with a 20 something.
2. I don't see the ambiguity in the question "Where would I take to get repaired in Indy area" as you apparently do.
3. Had she wanted to know about "SuperCharger Stations", she would have phrased the question that way. Asking "Are there any charging stations between Indy and Chicago" seemed to both of us as a legitimate question for a potential owner of any "non-traditional" powered vehicle to ask. BTW that is the longest trip she usually takes three to six times a year via auto when she can't fly there herself due to weather conditions. Wife has a Commercial Airplane Single Engine Land Pilots certificate with Instrument rating.

No, we did not speak to a manager to lodge a formal complaint. We did however, speak to another individual as we were leaving the Display Area who also indicated that he felt he was also unable to get answers from a different Tesla person at the Showroom/Store and who had overheard our conversations. His assessment was that they weren't interested in talking to anyone who didn't have a shirt and tie on (our experience happened late Saturday afternoon when most people were dressed in casual clothes).

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First, I hope you understand that ALL of these employees were in their first week on the job and are "retail sales associates" still in training. I'm glad you found your way to this forum because it is a resource beyond what you will find ANYWHERE else for any and all Tesla questions. Clearly it is not Elon's fault that his staff are not experts after a couple days on the job and he should not "sit on" a charger because of it.

1. Most people use the internet these days and can EASILY find the price range of the Tesla Model S. The associate will hopefully be better trained to offer customers a better answer in the future, but they also have an in-store design studio where they can help you construct your car and tell you the price with the options you desire EXACTLY.

2. Information from the teslamotors.com and this forum will quickly tell you that Tesla is opening a service center in Indianapolis soon. Currently these cars are either serviced in Columbus, OH or Chicago, IL. The service center could even be open by the time you would receive delivery of your new vehicle if ordered today.

3. The associate probably should have referred you to Plugshare or Recargo to view all of the public/private charging facilities along the I69 corridor. It would probably be beneficial for them to even have the app installed on their iPhone. They could also educate you that there soon won't be a need for "many" chargers along the route because the Lafayette Supercharger will easily facilitate travel between Indy and Chicago with only a 20 minute stopover or so. That supercharger is "coming soon" and they have been firing a few of these up a week! There is probably a thread on this forum specifically tracking the progress of the Lafayette supercharger.

You seem to be concerned that the associates in the store are "profiling" based on what people are wearing but you are the one sounding pretentious with your comments. Quite frankly, you sound more like a pissed off employee of a dealer or politico that is upset about Tesla selling direct to consumers and trying to prove your point than an actual potential customer.

I have been in a number of Tesla Showrooms, and I have never had a negative experience with any of their employees. At least in my anecdotal experience, every single Tesla employee has been very enthusiastic and helpful. They actually seem to believe in the mission of Tesla, and enjoy working for Tesla.

The price range of a Tesla Model S does depend on which trim level and options you get. You can find out the price ranges from Tesla's web site in a few minutes, just as you can find out where their service centers are located. It is not that difficult to do some basic research on the Internet. Personally, I always want to know more about the product than the sales people do for a major purchase.

It would be your loss to not buy a car that you are genuinely interested in, simply based on an experience like you describe.

1. What part of "Price Range" do you think the Individual did not understand? We were not there to play a semantics game with a 20 something.

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Well, let's see...were you talking a 60 or an 85 or P85 or P85+? Each of those has a different price range. How telling do you think your 20 something comment just was?

2. I don't see the ambiguity in the question "Where would I take to get repaired in Indy area" as you apparently do.

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Are you asking what *Tesla service center*? Are you asking what *Non-Tesla service center*? Are you asking about tire rotation, or are you asking about a specific Model S issue, say related to the battery?

One must remember that the person on the other end can't read your mind. The more specific your question, the more likely you are to get a specific answer. I've discovered that 20-somethings don't always communicate in a manner I can easily understand. It's seems to me to sometimes be a foreign language but I try, and when they see me try they try as well.

3. Had she wanted to know about "SuperCharger Stations", she would have phrased the question that way.

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Really? And yet she asked about where she could charge the car between Indy and Chicago?

Asking "Are there any charging stations between Indy and Chicago" seemed to both of us as a legitimate question for a potential owner of any "non-traditional" powered vehicle to ask.

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Uh, huh, if you want to claim the status of being ignorant of the product in terms of where to charge it between Indy and Chicago, then you can't claim knowledge status of SuperCharger stations.

I understand you may have wanted to be told the following: You can charge the Model S from any outlet with an appropriate adaptor, but charging times can vary greatly. There are options such as Blink, ChargePoint....we have an APP, blah, blah, blah.... Such hotels as the Ramada, Best Western....often have outlets available.....McDonalds, Walgreens they often also have charging available...leading to at least 30 minutes talking about all the different choices you'd have as an owner, including how most owners decided to put a charger in their homes, start the day off with a full tank etc., etc., And maybe that's how the question should have been answered, but it wasn't. Therefore, since your wife didn't get the answer she was looking for (for whatever reason - seems apparent now that that store had just opened and the employees were still in training so may not have had the information), then it's up to her to rephrase her question or ask to speak to someone who can answer it.

His assessment was that they weren't interested in talking to anyone who didn't have a shirt and tie on (our experience happened late Saturday afternoon when most people were dressed in casual clothes).

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That may be entirely possible. I don't know, wasn't there. People often misinterpret others or see what they want to see when they don't get what they want. I think it's a lame excuse, though, for being put off. I have on a number of occasions - fully aware and on purpose - gone into expensive establishments dressed in cheap, smelly, dirty barn clothes with intent to buy something expensive. I've NEVER been treated poorly based on that, EVER. I don't allow it. So the whole 'casual clothes' excuse, I don't buy for a second. A simple; "You don't seem particularly interested in answering my questions. Are you having a bad day or is it something else?" would have solved the problem in less than the time it took you to finish those two sentences. Heck, you could even have been super nice about it and said, "Am I asking the wrong questions? Help me out here. I know a little bit about the car, but I've got some serious information gaps and I don't trust everything I've read via the media; you know how they can be." It's always been fascinating to me how people claim *I was interested in said product* are so easily swayed, discouraged, upset, *fill in your word choice* by another human being who is a complete stranger to them. Why do you give your power away?

After all that, I'm not in anyway saying that the Tesla employees did their best, or couldn't have done better, or shouldn't have done better. But gee, it was entirely within your power to solve the issue right then and there with the person standing face to face with you. Why didn't you? And why come here after the fact to complain about a situation you purposely chose not to resolve? (Those are questions for yourself, not for me.)

In the end, I would hope you try again. The awesomeness of the car should not be missed for the sake of some weak communication from both parties.

I suspect that Indiana may be one of the states where Tesla stores are prohibited from giving out information due to state laws that protect traditional automobile dealers. From an article about Texas: "ecause the law in Texas says automakers can't sell directly to clients, but only through dealerships,...[a]ssociates can't talk about pricing, financing, tax credits, or even take you for a test drive. The best they can do is point interested persons at the company website." http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2013/10/25/tesla-model-s-direct-sales-texas-reminds-prohibition/

Sorry you had that kind of experience, but I hope you will not miss out on a fabulous car because some jerk did not take his job seriously. His behavior was unacceptable and you and I both know it. I am kind of surprised that "several Tesla reps. were standing around". Every time I have been to our store there has not been a rep. readily available due to the interest in this car. If you still have questions, I would love to be able to answer those I am capable of answering. I absolutely LOVE my Tesla and would like for others to be able to experience this also.

I have been to several Tesla stores and have not had the same experience. All Tesla personnel I spoke with were friendly and enthusiastic. I live in Virginia, and until just recently, Tesla was not allowed to "sell" cars direct in the state. Tesla had a "gallery" in Northern Virginia, where cars were displayed and Tesla merchandise was for sale, but the Tesla personnel were not allowed to sell a car or even discuss price. That is (or will be) changing soon as Tesla and Virginia have come to an agreement that a single sales store will be permitted. A service center should be opening soon also. I hope you reconsider and give Tesla another chance. We have had our S85 since April 2013 and it is the best car and best experience we have ever had.

A lot of time has passed, but, FWIW, we had a very good experience with this same outlet.
Can't say if it was the same people. Even if it was, they've clearly had a great deal of experience
between then and now.